The Truth About Cars » Product Reviews

Book Review: “Shop Class as Soulcraft” by Matthew Crawford

Stephan Wilkinson — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:38:51 +0000

Matthew Crawford is a practicing motorcycle mechanic out of Richmond,Virginia. He’s also an excellent writer who holds a philosophy degree from the prestigious University of Chicago. This unusual trifecta informs “Shop Class as Soulcraft: an Inquiry Into the Value of Work.” Anyone who’s changed their oil or timed a distributor (remember them?) will appreciate the [...]

Review: BlackBerry VM-605 Speakerphone

Sajeev Mehta — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:55:32 +0000

The latest advancements in communication imply a great future for the automobile. And yet, like my former manager in Corporate America once said, “I can’t wait to go to a place where my BlackBerry doesn’t work.” Like most BlackBerry addicts, I doubt she really meant it. Mostly because these handheld email magnets are legalized crack, [...]

Review: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)

David Holzman — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 17:33:04 +0000

It’s not that people are unpredictable. They are predictable. But they frequently behave counterintuitively, a phenomenon that has given rise to the field of behavioral economics. Like economists, engineers have traditionally ignored psychology. Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us), is a 300-odd page romp into what scientists [...]

Review: Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

James Gribbon — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:26:06 +0000

Today marks the fourth anniversary of Russ Meyer’s death. Meyer, nicknamed “King Leer,” was a natural born freak from Oakland who worked as a cameraman in the European theater during WWII, became one of the earliest Playboy photographers, and created Mudhoney, Motor Psycho and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, along with 24 other bizarre [...]

“I’m gonna get you sucka!” Product Review: Mityvac 7201 Fluid Evacuator Plus

Chuck Goolsbee — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:46:50 +0000

I’m not a very good mechanic, but I enjoy working on my cars. Part of it is because I’m cheap and don’t like spending money on things I can do myself. Additionally, every time I have any interaction with any part of a car dealership I walk away feeling like a rape victim. Silkwood showers. [...]

Product Review: Turtle Wax Ice Clay Bar and Turtle Wax Black Box

Sajeev Mehta — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 09:54:31 +0000

Oversimplification and furious, anti-Audi-like scorn notwithstanding, automotive paint protection and women’s cosmetic products are one in the same. But wanting your skin/sheetmetal looking good isn’t a crime, so let’s examine two of Turtle Wax’s premium offerings: the ICE clay bar and wax kit, and the Black Box treatment system. Because I hate reading product reviews that regurgitate the manufacturer’s instructions, I’ll assume you can read a box. More to the point, here’s why you should.

Product Review: Peak Wireless Back-Up Camera System

Frank Williams — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 14:25:38 +0000

Rear view cameras are becoming commonplace on SUVs, CUVs and luxury cars. But only as part of very expensive option packages. If you prefer spending your money on things like groceries and house payments, or have an older vehicle, you’re pretty much out of luck. But not entirely. Peak (yes, the antifreeze people) offer the Peak Wireless Back-up Camera System. To see if it passes muster, I installed one on my 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe.

Product Review: SCT Dyno Tuner

Sajeev Mehta — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:25:04 +0000

Before the days of anti-smog legislation and catalytic converters, anyone looking for more power in their ride needed a few tools, access to a drag strip and intimate knowledge of their carburetor. This concept lives on today, but the names and faces changed: Hot-Rodders are now Tuners. Here's an idea: let’s see how much power is left on the table after a Tuner gets their hands on a fuel-injected, late-model performance machine. But first a word from our hacker . . .

Product Review: Microsoft Zune

Sajeev Mehta — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:27:15 +0000

The Microsoft Zune prides itself in being the only significant alternative to Apple’s wildly popular iPod and iTunes duo. But there’s a problem: Zune distances itself from the industry standard software and hardware systems. Considering Microsoft’s dominance stemming from the personal computer revolution, the Zune’s unique value proposition is less like the corporate mothership and [...]

Review: Porsche “Essence” Fragrance

Samir Syed — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:46:17 +0000

When I entered Copley Place, the last thing I ever expected to find was a TTAC review. My trip to New England already having yielded material, the trip was already a success on that front. Yet, as I roamed the halls, ignoring designer label after designer label, destiny was slowly creeping up on me. At [...]

Review: Driving Like Crazy by P. J. O’Rourke

Edward Niedermeyer — Sat, 30 May 2009 17:46:29 +0000

P. J. O'Rourke takes the decline of the American car personally. And not just because his family has sold Buicks for three generations. In his latest book Driving Like Crazy, O'Rourke sees the very story of our nation written in the crazy, chrome-clad arc of American automobilia. From "the sheer genius that transformed the 1908 Model T into the 1965 Shelby Cobra GT500 in a single human lifetime of speeding tickets" to the industry's decades-long "sayonara," O'Rourke reflects on where we've been and what we drove to get there. But he also knows that cars are about more important things than mere cultural and political commentary. They're about fun. Fast fun. Busting axles in Baja fun. Pointing a big, noisy car at the horizon and burying the gas pedal fun. And what's more American than that?

Product Review: SmartCover

Jeff Puthuff — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:28:21 +0000

Yes, I realize animated GIFs are so twentieth century, but when I try to explain how my car cover works, I’m often met with looks of confusion and bewilderment. Known as SmartCover, this product lands between the nearly useless cardboard/foil foam windshield reflector and a whole-car-takes-ten-minutes-to-unfurl-and-position-before-you-realize-it’s-inside-out cover in both price and usability. Summers in the California [...]

Videogame Review: Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (GT5P)

Niky Tamayo — Sat, 16 May 2009 11:06:03 +0000

Before landing a part-time gig as an automotive test monkey, I cut my teeth driving virtual cars on Gran Turismo 4 (GT4). Developer Polyphony Digital’s attention to detail was startling. You could/can feel subtle differences between ostensibly similar cars, such as an ’89 and a ’93 Mazda Miata (hint: chassis rigidity on the older car sucks). [...]

Review: Ford SYNC

Alex Dykes — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:21:29 +0000

Ford seems to be the only part of the big 3/2.5/1.8 that's embracing technology as a way to win customers. Their SYNC system got massive airplay in the Blue Oval's ads. Down at the dealer level, FoMoCo's been pushing SYNC like crazy. Strange, then, that I've noticed a distinct lack of reviews on the SYNC. So I hopped into a Ford Fusion for a week to answer a simple question: it is any good?

Product Review: Porsche Design P’9522 Phone

Michael Martineck — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 20:09:21 +0000

One of my long-standing disagreements with the editor: the Porsche Cayenne is a dangerous diffusion of the Porsche brand. I never believed that. I’d call Robert up and tell him— if I could dial this new Porsche Design P’9522 phone with its razor thin buttons. Or use it stateside for that matter. Perhaps I’ll e-mail [...]

Videogame Review: Midnight Club LA

Samir Syed — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 16:52:56 +0000

Now that the Need For Speed franchise has definitively and conclusively jumped the shark, Rockstar’s Midnight Club has emerged as the standard-bearer for street racing games. Enter the newest edition: Midnight Club: LA. The recipe for this one was deceptively simple: take the GTA IV driving engine, enhance it to reflect different (i.e. real) cars, stick the driver in yet another trendy city-– this time LA-- and let him get into as much trouble as possible. On the whole, Midnight Club picks up right where NFS Carbon left off (let’s pretend ProStreet and Undercover never happened). It’s a fun, arcade-style game, but it’s not without its flaws.

Book Review: Zoom: The Race to Fuel the Car of the Future

Edward Niedermeyer — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:19:34 +0000

When new acquaintances find out that I cover the automotive industry, the response is often a flood of pent-up questions on the topic. Though much of the interest converges on the future of the American automakers, the future of cars, fuel and mobility in general attract a lot of curiosity. Facile blogger that I am, I usually cop out by saying that telecommuting is the true future of mobility. In reality, the interplay of energy, economics, politics, technology and the environment that defines the cars and fuels of the future is a topic of near infinite complexity. Luckily, two correspondents for The Economist have tackled the issues in a new book entitled Zoom: The Global Race To Fuel The Car Of The Future.

Product Review: Addco Manufacturing Sway Bars

Sajeev Mehta — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 13:36:00 +0000

There’s nothing like matching wits with the sweepers in a car that normally fears a bend in the road. Unless you own the well engineered underpinnings of a Porsche, Corvette, BMW or a handful of less obvious winners sporting a bona fide performance suspension from the factory, that is. For the rest of us, there are after market alternatives that allow loyalists to keep their current rides (and monthly payment) and let the inner Pistonhead shine in all its glory. With this in mind, start with better tires, and then take a look at your sway bars.

Videogame Review: Grand Theft Auto IV

Antoine Parmentier — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 20:21:39 +0000

Grand Theft Auto IV's (GTAIV) intricate and involving storyline has drawn comparisons to Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver. You playin' with me? Yes, well, there are a lot more cars in GTAIV. And the game's protagonist, a Serbian immigrant named Niko Bellic, has neither a clean license nor a clean conscience. Despite the increased focus on the thematic and shooting action, most of GTAIV's single-player missions still mandate mastery of a wide range of vehicles. From the start of the first mission, to the usual drug deliveries, to driving a big rig filled with explosives through city streets, Grand Theft is pistonhead catnip. As you'd expect, car chases and street races present some of the game's toughest-- and most rewarding-- challenges.

Videogame Review: Need for Speed ProStreet

Samir Syed — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 01:16:16 +0000

Need for Speed Prostreet is a huge departure from the NFS series, featuring only legal racing. That’s right; the ultimate “I don’t wanna grow up” game has grown up. By banishing typical NFS staples – illegality, police chases and near-invincibility – EA Sports has made a serious racing game. Unfortunately, that places ProStreet squarely in the crosshairs of established franchises like Gran Turismo and Forza Motorsport, who’ve cornered the market on “serious racing." Against this lethal competition, ProStreet falls far short of establishing a beachhead.

Product Review: Shark Injector

Michael Posner — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:00:02 +0000

The full-page ad copy shouted, “I will boost your horsepower & torque.” Whoa! With claims like that, I felt personally challenged to test the Shark Injector. It's an OBD-II connector that overwrites a part of the BMWs DME (BMW speak for electronic control unit or ECU) with its own internal Conforti software to deliver claimed results. So I installed the Shark Injector on a BMW 325i, one of the many six-cylinder BMWs supported by the Shark (includes all sixes in the 3, 5 and Z series BMWs through 2005, plus the M3 and X5 3.0). Or should I say I set about installing the Shark injector...

Product Review: RallyCam 3000

Michael Posner — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 13:39:56 +0000

When my esteemed editor suggested I review the RallyCam, I envisioned a simple one camera with a small recording device. Instead. the edgecameras.com people sent me their RallyCam 3000, a three-camera system with a sophisticated control unit integrated with a multi-use video recording device. The devices came packed tightly in their container. I was quickly overwhelmed by cables, clamps, remotes and plastic bags. The numerous instruction sheets were not very helpful. But TTAC's Best and Brightest are persistent bastards, as are their legally-trained representatives. So away we go...

Product Review: Forza Motorsport 2 for Xbox360

Samir Syed — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:35:07 +0000

One day, we’ll look back fondly on the rivalry between Xbox and Playstation. Inevitably, we’ll discuss the competing pairs of game that these consoles offered, genre by genre, sequel by sequel. We’ll debate Final Fantasy vs. Oblivion, Halo vs. Resistance, and ,of course, Gran Turismo (“GT”) vs. Forza Motorsport. And everyone will pick the Playstation(s)’s GT series. That said, Xbox owners need not lament as the Xbox’s own flagship racer is a solid game indeed and one of the most intuitive, purest racing games available today.

WeatherTech®, Audi OEM Floor Mats Review

Michael Posner — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:57:47 +0000

Given half a chance, most car guys would spend big bucks pimping their wheels. Needless to say, their better half ain’t buying it. So neither are they. While aerodynamic addenda and wikkid wheels are [ultimately] a less costly ego enhancement than regular spa treatments, all car mods tend to appear fairly low on the list of financial priorities known as the family budget. But guys, it’s time to go to the mat. Literally.

NITTO Invo Ultra-High Performance Tire Review

Michael Posner — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:02:56 +0000

If you’re a pistonhead, you have people. You know, Nick the mechanic or Joe the dyno. I got a tire guy: Ernie Bello. Bello tires is a performance car hangout, with all the right equipment for mondo mods and a lounge, decorated with a map of the Nürburgring, stocked with car mags, ice cream and kick-ass Cuban coffee. When my sports car needed new tires I clicked on Tire Rack for price and advice. I then went to Ernie. Hey Ernie! Whaddayathinkin here?